Rangers re-sign Ryan Callahan [3 years, $4.275M per]

Biron, EC, Wolski, Eminger, Avery,Fedotenko, MZA. None of those names are guys we need to bring back. We may decide after this year that one or two earned another contract but that's not exactly like this year when we had to sign Cally, Dubs, etc.

They don't have to be brought back, but they do have to be replaced. You're kidding yourself if you think there's any way we can replace them all and still afford a player making 6+ mil.

There is no way there is a CBA cap reduction without (a) buyouts or (b) rollbacks, or (c) both.

Without such action, the rangers, and several other teams, will get killed and for not having done anything wrong. It would simply not be accepted.

Rollbacks likely won't do anything for us. If the cap goes down 10% and salaries are rolled back 10%, we'll be in exactly the same position we are now. I have a hard time believing that the NHLPA will accept another rollback.

Buyouts will help us get rid of Redden, but he only counts against the summer cap. There really aren't any other players we would reasonably consider buying out at this point.

Rollbacks likely won't do anything for us. If the cap goes down 10% and salaries are rolled back 10%, we'll be in exactly the same position we are now. I have a hard time believing that the NHLPA will accept another rollback.
Buyouts will help us get rid of Redden, but he only counts against the summer cap. There really aren't any other players we would reasonably consider buying out at this point.

In recent years, including the lockout, the NHLPA has been bent over by Bettman and the owners.

120 million I believe, but theres also more than double the amount of guys on the roster.

Things seem to be working out with the CBA enacted after the lockout. Fingers crossed this doesnt become a war.

Its the NBA that is truly ****ed.

I'm really pumped about an NBA lockout - sorry to those of you who like it - but I felt like the NHL was flying after 94 - a lockout killed the momentum and the NBA jumped it. I would love to see a reversal where maybe some fans come back, and others are made..

In recent years, including the lockout, the NHLPA has been bent over by Bettman and the owners.

Donald Fehr is not going to let that happen anymore.

I want to preface the following with generally in sports I side with the players over the owners, but the NHLPA had to make major concessions last time. Players were making something like 75% of all revenue which was crazy high when there were plenty of franchises struggling to even post any sort of profit.

This makes a ton of sense. He's fairly and reasonably paid for his current ability/contributions. If he improves in 3 years we'll pay for that improvement then, but this lets us get him at a good cap hit right now. And as other posters have said, a lot can happen in 3 years.

This also lets us concentrate on adding the final pieces and on competing for a cup the next 3 years. Our core is locked up, and in 3-4-5 years we'll decide who to keep based on how our prospects do, injuries, the NHL landscape, etc.

They don't have to be brought back, but they do have to be replaced. You're kidding yourself if you think there's any way we can replace them all and still afford a player making 6+ mil.

Well, acquiring a 5.5-6+ million dollar D-Man puts us in a position to trade one of our D-Men, which opens up another couple of million. Basically, we're looking at 10 million to spread around to 4-5 bottom six forwards. Not too difficult to do, especially when it's going to be on guys like Hagelin and Kreider on ELCs.

Well, acquiring a 5.5-6+ million dollar D-Man puts us in a position to trade one of our D-Men, which opens up another couple of million. Basically, we're looking at 10 million to spread around to 4-5 bottom six forwards. Not too difficult to do, especially when it's going to be on guys like Hagelin and Kreider on ELCs.

Kreider's cap # is 1.75m not cheap, plus even if you trade a D man for a forward, that forward is gonna cost more cap room. Better off just signing a mid-priced LW...I'm hoping we'll have room for a 4-5m one but doubt we'll have much more.

They don't have to be brought back, but they do have to be replaced. You're kidding yourself if you think there's any way we can replace them all and still afford a player making 6+ mil.

Disagree with you, GAG.

The Rangers have 14 players under contract for next year and cap space of $15MM. The players that need to be replaced are:

- backup goalie
- a 6th defenseman, presumably MDZ, who will be coming off his ELC
- 3 bottom 6 forwards (which may or may not include MZA coming off his ELC)

and

- a top 6 LW

The 3 bottom 6 forwards should cost no more than $4.5MM (and really, that's being generous given that 2 of the guys being replaced/re-signed are Feds & Prust who currently combine for only $2.2MM by themselves)

The backup goalie should command no more than $1.5MM (could be had for less as we've seen in each of the last 2 UFA markets)

And the 6th defenseman, if he's an RFA coming off his entry deal, shouldn't make more than AA did this year - and again, that's likely generous.

That leaves $7.2MM to sign your LW, maybe a 7th dman and potentially seek upgrades elsewhere. So, to begin with, that LW could easily be a $6MM player. Or, if Kreider or Thomas steps up to be a top 6 player, that's a 20 man roster with at least $5.5MM of space left to play with. Devote $800K to a 7th d again, save $500k for in-season moves, and that leaves you with $4.2MM to pursue upgrades at any position. Then, factor in the salary of the player being replaced, and you've easily got a $6MM+ salary guy stepping in to take his place. And that's with what I consider to be VERY conservative salary estimates, without a cap increase or relief from Drury's buyout penalty (which would likely be part of a new CBA). You could very easily be talking about a $7-8MM player.

All of this assumes they find the right guy available and deem him better than the lower priced guy he'd be replacing).

I did the math and this is all very possible. Leaving CBA changes out of it since we have no idea what will happen, the numbers do add up to 6-8m being left over given likely salaries etc. If the cap were to stay the same, and no compliance buyouts were given, we'd prob have around 6m left with a full roster. With buyouts you could add Drury's remaining amount to that, and depending on how much space the team wants to leave we could have 7.5-8m in cap room just sitting around, and prospects waiting to fill in the next few years. Would be a big opportunity to add one more big time scorer - maybe help balance out our scoring lines a bit. But yea we're in a good cap situation going forward definitely.